If you’re looking for living room furniture, would you consider a leather sofa? Leather sofas, especially those in natural shades, can look truly fantastic in a living room with a more modern aesthetic. I would never have thought of pairing leather and sheepskin, or leather and bright pops of color, but the combination works.
If you are contemplating a purchase, here are 28 leather sofas in modern silhouettes and cognac, tobacco, and caramel hues. My favorites are 3, 13, and 23. I was not familiar with DeSede, but I’m loving it.
Shop modern leather sofas from StyleCarrot partners.
If you read my blog post about gray sofas earlier this month, then you know I have sashayed into the realm of decorator. To recap: A friend asked me to decorate her new four bedroom apartment in New York City. There’s no construction, kitchens or baths involved; it’s the paint and wallpaper, furniture, rugs, lighting, and accessories. There are a few pieces making the move that I’ll need to integrate, and the toddler’s room is pretty much set, leaving the master bedroom, nursery, guest bedroom/office, playroom, living room, and dining room.
The master bedroom seemed like the easiest place to start. Meredith is really drawn to this bedroom, particularly the jade color, designed by New York City designer Fawn Galli.
Designed by Fawn Galli
I’m a huge fan of Fawn’s work. In this room, I love the dramatic green headboard and wallpaper with surreal tree forms. However, the bedroom that really spoke to me for this project was the one I wrote about for TradHome, by San Francisco designer (of whom I am equally enamored), Palmer Weiss.
Designed by Palmer Weiss
Some of the differences between the two rooms reflect how my tastes and Meredith’s can differ. She tends to favor curvier, more feminine styles, while I really like more spare, hard-edged lines. Luckily, blue and green are both of our go-to colors.
She knew she wanted an upholstered headboard. After sifting through styles and swatches from Jonathan Adler, Dwell Studio, Serena & Lily, West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Ballard, Williams-Sonoma, Oly, Cisco, Vanguard, and Lee Industries, we chose the Serena & Lily Pondicherry trimmed with nickel nailheads. We haven’t confirmed an exact fabric yet, but it will be white.
For wallpaper on the bed wall, we ordered samples from Walnut Wallpaper, Graham & Brown, Burke Decor,and indie designers’ sites. I didn’t find a jade green—most were sea foam or pale sky blue. She liked several, and we narrowed it to two choices: Grow House Grow! ‘Mme. Jeanne’ and the new Timorous Beasties ‘Butterflies,’ which we have yet to see IRL (in real life).
Master bedroom floor plan
Which decorating scheme do you prefer?
Feel free to leave feedback. Remember, I’m new at this.
Scheme #1
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Scheme #2
S H O P P I N G
Scheme #1 Wallpaper: Grow House Grow! Mme. Jeanne, Grow House Grow!
Bed:
Serena & Lily Pondicherry Bed with Nailheads, Serena & Lily.
Nightstands:
Malibu Loft by Somerset Bay Concave Side Chest, Zinc Door.
Bungalow 5 Jacqui Side Table, Clayton Gray Home.
Jonathan Adler Preston Side Table, Jonathan Adler.
As you know, bar carts have become the must-have accent piece in the modern home. Even those who don’t drink want shiny a bar cart set up in an unused corner, styled to perfection with all the best bar accoutrements—decanters, shakers, stirrers, striped paper straws, martini glasses—finished with a killer piece of artwork hanging on the wall above it.
Bars don’t have to be on casters (though all the bar carts in this post are on wheels). You can create a bar in a cleared out section of a bookshelf, on a lacquered tray atop a console table, or repurpose the armoire you no longer need for your TV since you switched to a flatscreen. A tray table—the kind that’s an actual tray set into a butler’s stand—works particularly well as a home bar too.
This entry has been one of the site’s top five posts since I first published it over two years ago; it’s been long overdue for an overhaul. As of November 10, 2014 you’ll find 50 brand new bar carts arrayed here. With the holidays approaching, it seemed an ideal time for a bar carts refresh.
I’ve been thinking about setting up a bar for my husband for like half a dozen years now. At this point, with the boys approaching teendom, we’ll need a bar cabinet with a lock. (I’ll work on a bar cabinet post soon.) Perhaps I could pull one together as a holiday gift. Or his next birthday. We will be entertaining for our son’s bar mitzvah this winter. Can’t have a cocktail party without a pretty home bar, after all.
This selection of 50 bar carts, serving carts, and trolleys, some with removable trays, are all ideal for setting up your home bar. Styles include contemporary, mid-century modern, art deco, and traditional classics in brass, walnut, acrylic, polished nickel, lucite, birch, oak, rattan and more.
